1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to game apparatus and more particularly to that class utilized in the game of checkers employing separable playing pieces with attachment thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art abounds with game apparatus utilizing separable attachements. U.S. Pat. No. 1,268,659 issued on June 4, 1918 to J. L. Wright teaches a modified checker game employing game pieces sensibly shaped to resemble hobby horses and attachments thereto in the form of "horsemen" that may be removably attached to the playing pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,623,881 issued on Apr. 5, 1927 to J. Mayer discloses a game utilizing a diamond shaped field divided into a plurality of alternate colored diamond shaped playing positions and employing various shaped attachments adapted for the removable fastening to individual playing pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,716 issued on June 1, 1965 to A. A. Shabaric pertains to a conventional checker board playing area utilized in combination with two sets of playing pieces. Each playing piece is adapted with a circular or rectangularly shaped cavity extending through the lowermost lateral surface thereof. A circular or rectangular shaped protrusion extends upwardly from the uppermost lateral surface of each playing piece. The shape of the cavity need not, but may match the shape of the protrusion, thereby providing for an interesting set of game playing rules of greater complexity than the conventional checker game.
All of the aforementioned patents suffer the common deficiency in that the ability to stack pieces, other than in a proscribed limited fashion as in Shabaric, is lost. Furthermore, the cost of manufacture for such complicated pieces and attachments where used, is high and tends to limit the sales potential of the apparatus.